1906
the obstruction to the drainage—the one the theory of the minority that it was the Railways and the roads.in connection with them which had dammed up the dr7iinage; the other maintained by a large majority of experienced and scientific'men that it was the sting up of khals and other water-courses which by blocking up the drainage of large bheels had spread dampness and miasma into all the v [...] But the idea that the bheels which had existed since the formation of the country itself and the rice lands which meant the surface of the whole country were the generting causes of the epidemic Xnd that they must be drained if the epidemic was to he checked was so preposterous that he would not detain the Council with further remarks on that head. [...] To place before the Council in a clear light the manner in which the drainage of the Bengal villages was effected during the rains he would with permission read some passages from a memorandum written by himself which would be found in the appendix to the report bf the Epidemic Commission of which he had the honor to be a member :—"22 RAJA DIGAMBAR The drainage of all the villages in the epid [...] " In like manner the Eastern Bengal Railway and its feeders when the same have crossed the water-courses of villages lying on the eastern bank ofiths river klopghly and.of others more inland but situated to the west of the line have obstincted the drainage of those places ; the fall of the villages lying on the eastern bank of the river Hooghly as I have before observed being towards the ea [...] But the proposed measure while it provided for the drainage of the hheels and paddy-fields made no provision for the removal of the obstructions to the free drlunage of the villages.